MARINO VOTES FOR CUT, CAP, AND BALANCE ACT

July 26, 2011

WASHINGTON (July 19, 2011) U.S. Rep. Tom Marino, PA-10, voted in favor of The Cut, Cap, and Balance Act Tuesday night and said he holds out hope that Senate Democrats will “do what the American people want.”

House passage of HR 2560 sends the measure to the Senate and to what critics are calling a likely death. The bill passed by a 234-190 vote.

Marino discounted criticism that the move by the House is symbolic.

“I don’t vote symbolic,” he said. “This is what the American people want. They want us to cut spending and cap our expenditures, just like they are forced to do on a daily basis.

“They want us to only spend what we take in and since we haven’t been able to do that for decades, this bill includes a balanced budget requirement,” Marino said.

HR2560 places a statutory cap on federal spending and requires the passage of a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution before increasing the nation’s debt ceiling.

The Cut, Cap, and Balance Act excludes national defense from spending caps – a safeguard that will allow the United States to maintain a trained and ready force and prepare for the future.

On Tuesday morning, Marino joined 21 freshman colleagues for an impromptu press conference in front of the White House as President Obama met inside with congressional Republican leaders.

The 22 representatives carried copies of a letter the legislators sent to President Obama demanding a written proposal that outlines his plan to raise the debt ceiling.

Members of the group were united in their stance that they will not agree to any debt ceiling proposal unless it includes detailed spending cuts and timelines.

In his address to the group that gathered around the first-term lawmakers, Marino pointed out the inaction by the previous Congress and the Obama administration to address the growing national debt and deficit.

He also assured senior citizens and members of the military that they will receive their August checks.

“The Treasury Secretary decides what bills are paid, at the direction of the president,” Marino said. “There is no reason that the Social Security checks will not go out and that the military will not get paid. I promise seniors and our military families that they will receive their checks on time and I challenge the president to step up and act like a leader.”